


Take a Melody

by roriks



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings
Genre: As Will Tags, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Novelization, characters will be added as we get to them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2018-09-21 10:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9543851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roriks/pseuds/roriks
Summary: "I can only imagine what my face looked like, but it was probably hilariously confused. Or at least, it was before the lamp soared right at my neck."or, a boy recounts how he finally made some friends. maybe he doesn't have to be so alone anymore. (oh yeah, and he saved the world, too.)





	1. Chapter 0: George and Maria

**Author's Note:**

> This story's also available on my [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5715467/).  
> Contact me at my [personal blog](http://nessonmain.tumblr.com/).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey, Alex! Have you read the news?"

> **In the early 1900s, a dark shadow covered a small country town in rural America. At that time, a young married couple mysteriously vanished from their home.**
> 
> **The man’s name was George, the woman’s name was Maria.**
> 
> **Two years later, as suddenly as he left, George returned. He never told anyone where he had been or what he had done. But, he began an odd study, all by himself.**
> 
> **As for Maria, his wife...**  
>  **She never returned.**

* * *

 

“Hey, Alex! Have you read the news?”

“Not yet… why?”

“You know that George and his good looking girl?”

“Yeah. What happened to them?”

“They went missing, without a trace! There was food on the table and coffee gone cold and everything, no sign of a struggle, it was just the weirdest thing!”

“That really is weird. The police are on it, right?”

“Yeah, but seriously? You know how the police are in this town. They’re as good as gone.”

* * *

 

“Hey, Alex! Did’ya hear? George’s back!”

“Wait, what? George, as in, the George that went missing?”

“Yes, the George that went missing. Come on, keep up, Alex.”

“Sorry, sorry. Has he said anything about where he’s been all this time?”

“No, he’s being kinda shifty about the whole thing. He just holed up in his old house and started working on a ‘new study’. That’s all he’d say to anyone who asked.”

“Weird… wait, what about his wife? Mary, I think?”

“No, no, it was Maria. And, well, she didn’t come back.”

“Huh. Things are getting a bit crazy here.”

“ _Getting_? They always were crazy. _Podunk is crazy_. How did you miss this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, been a while since I started a multi-chapter fic. I'm very used to writing one shots.  
> But yep, another novelization. I really hope that I will be able to stick with this fic and actually complete it. I came back to finish the next chapter after several months of no inspiration, so that's a good omen.  
> This chapter's length is not a sign of what's to come. The actual chapters will be at least a thousand words.  
> 


	2. 1: Broken Music Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I dodged, stumbling. Jeez, that thing could’ve snapped my neck at the speed it was going. It almost did, to make things even worse.”_
> 
> or, a boy smashes some furniture (and a creepy doll, as a sweet bonus)

Hey. My name is Ninten. I know, I know, it’s a weird name, but it’s not like _I’m_ the one who chose it. You can blame my parents for that. Anyway, I’m 12 years old and this is the story of how I saved the world.

…What? You don’t believe I saved the world? Oh yeah, right, _just because I’m 12 I can’t do cool stuff_. Well, I really did save the world, whether you believe it or not.

Moving on. It all started when my lamp almost killed me. … _Really with the whole not believing me thing again? Come on. Just roll with it, I know it’s weird._

 

I was just minding my own business that day. I had followed my typical routine: get up, not want to go to school, eat, go to school, walk my sisters home from school, and start on my homework. I’d been doing my math homework when I got hungry. I got up and was walking to the door when I suddenly got a feeling. A bad feeling. You know those vibes you get when you’re watching a horror movie and you can tell something real bad is about to happen? Yeah, it was like that. My eyes flicked around the room as I turned around. My eyes zeroed in on my lamp. My trembling lamp. What? I pinched my arm to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Nope, this was all real. Suddenly, the lamp’s power cord came out of the wall and the lamp started levitating. I can only imagine what my face looked like, but it was probably hilariously confused. Or at least, it was before the lamp soared right at my neck.

I dodged, stumbling. Jeez, that thing could’ve snapped my neck at the speed it was going. It almost did, to make things even worse. The thing was righting itself after almost ramming into the door, so I took that time to grab it ( _jeez, that thing was hot_ ) and hurl it at the wall. _SMASH._ I sighed. Mom would have my head for this. Now that the thing was dead, I had some time to think about what the heck just happened.

1.) My lamp came to life and attacked me.  
2.) I almost died.  
3.) I broke my lamp.  
4.) This could be happening in other parts of the house too.

Wait, what was that last one again? Other parts of the house. I blanched. _My sisters!_ They were only 7, they couldn’t defend themselves if something attacked them! I gritted my teeth and ran out the door, entering the first room to my right; Minnie’s room. I was lovingly greeted by Minnie’s shrieking and yet another lamp flying at me. I followed the same steps I took with the lamp from my room, except with a little less almost dying. _Dodge, grab it, ignore my burning hands, and smash it._ The porcelain pieces fell to the floor.

“Big bro…” I startled and whipped around when Minnie spoke up. “What’s happening? Is the house falling apart? Is Mommy okay? Is Mimmie okay? I’m scared…” She babbled.

I walked over to where she was standing. She looked up at me when I knelt down in front of her and I put my hands on her shoulders. “Minnie, I really don’t know what’s going on right now,” I felt bad when her expression dropped even more, but I didn’t want to just lie to her, “But I’m gonna go check on Mom and Mimmie, okay? Now what I need you to do is stay here, and if anything else tries to hurt you, scream. I promise I’ll come.” _I have no idea where this sudden bravery came from, I still feel like I’m about to piss my pants._

As soon as my younger sister nodded, I shot to my feet and took off running. The next room over wasn’t far, but the less time I took, the better. I burst into the room to see Mimmie scrambling away from her doll. _Ugh_ , I hate that thing. It was a hand-me-down from Mom, who got it from her mom, whose mom made it for her. I knew there was some sentimental value to it, but the doll always kind of… creeped me out. It was falling apart, its clothes were missing, and it was all around ratty. Welp, either way, that thing’s gotta go now.

Mimmie turned her scared gaze to me, begging for help. I dashed in between my sister and the doll, hoping that things would turn out well like they did against the lamps. I started with a kick to the doll, flinging it a little ways across the room. It _was_ a doll, after all. It rose up, hurtling toward me, but I jumped to the side, flailing my arms a bit to keep my balance when I landed. Turns out the thing had really poor motor control (is that how you’d put it?), as it almost rammed into the wall. I took the opportunity to rush over and grab it by its little socked feet ( _honestly, I’m surprised that those were the things that never got lost. You’d think that the socks would be the first to go, but no._ ) and bash its head into the wall hard enough that the head popped clean off. The doll went limp – er, limper? – in my hands. I dropped its body and slumped down a bit, wishing that this was all a dream.

Then, for some reason, it seemed like something in the air evaporated. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. My mind told me that it was the strange phenomenon ending, and I wanted to say something along the lines of _How the heck did you get to that conclusion?_ but Mimmie was staring right at me and I didn’t want to make my sister think I’d gone mad, so I just rolled with the punches and hoped my mind was right. Mimmie looked away from me, instead staring at the doll’s head that was a few feet away from her. Then she looked back at me. Then back at the head. Her eyes flickered between us for a moment, before her eyes widened and she looked back at me.

“Ninten!! I think there’s something inside it!” _Well, at least she’s taking it better than I expected_. I walked over to the doll’s head, crouching down and grabbing it carefully. I peered inside of it and I could make out the shape of a little box. I reached in and grabbed it; pulling it into the light, I could see that it was a small wooden box with a small indent on the sides. There were hinges on the back, and a rusty key on the side to wind it up. I figured, _hey, why not_ , and turned the key a few times ( _by which I mean 10_ ) before opening the box. When I opened it, a tune started to play as a small figure of a woman in a dress spun slowly. The music stopped after five notes, but the woman kept spinning. I tilted my head in confusion, replaying the five notes in my mind.

“Huh, guess it’s busted,” I said, looking up at Mimmie only to see her wide eyes looking back at me. “Sorry, Mim. I’m gonna go check on Mom, okay?” My sister nodded and I stood up. She huffed when I ruffled her hair as I walked by to set the music box on her dresser.

As I was about to walk out into the hall, Mimmie said, “hey, Ninten?” I looked back at her with a quirked eyebrow. “Thanks for saving me, but…” She trailed off, smirking a little, “I’m gonna tell Mommy you broke my dolly.”

I just stared at her for a moment. _Really? This is what your brain latches onto after all this, Mimmie_? I sighed and turned, walking out the door, knowing that there’s no changing her mind when she decides on something. She’s stubborn like that. As I trotted down the stairs, I just couldn’t get those five notes out of my mind. I felt like they were important for some weird reason.

The part of my mind that had talked to me earlier sung quietly. “ _Take a melody…_ ” This time, I wasn’t inclined to say anything in response. After all, the tune was very nice. My lips quirked into a small smile as I sang along to my mind’s lyrics under my breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, feels good to be back in the game. And by game, I mean story, seeing as how I took a 3 months break while writing this chapter.  
> Feel free to hit me up on [tumblr](http://nevilllees.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	3. 2: Cold, Dark, and Dusty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"A cockroach skittered by my socked foot, and I took a startled step back. My eyes followed the insect just long enough to see it run into a spider. I looked away, not wanting to know who would win in that battle."_
> 
> or, an asthmatic goes into a dusty basement (and forgets his inhaler as the cherry on top)

The first thing I saw when I walked into the living room was my mom, her back to the front door, a grim expression on her face. Her eyes lightened when she saw me, and she rushed over to me. “Ninten, honey! Are you alright?” She cried, her heels clicking against the hard wood floor.

I couldn’t bring myself to do anything but stare. My brain had been on hyperdrive before, but now that I knew she was okay, the fight seemed to leave my body in an instant. I shrugged, wiping away the sweat forming on my forehead. I guess she somehow knew that I felt just a tad bit stressed out of my mind. Was it showing on my face, or was it her superior mom instincts? Either way, she swept me up into a hug; I buried my face into her shoulder, and I could feel her leaning her head against mine. There were tears starting to sprout up in my eyes, and her arms tightened around me.

“Ninten, could you tell me what happened?” She asked softly. I murmured the events of the past ten minutes to her, feeling silly. It felt more like I was telling her about the plot of a cartoon, and a small part of me couldn’t help but be scared that she wouldn’t believe me. But all she did was rub circles into my back and whisper to me, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I couldn’t help but want the hug to last forever, but then the annoying screeching of the phone rang throughout the apartment. She pulled away and gave my hair a quick ruffle, and asked if I could get the phone while she went and checked on Mimmie and Minnie. I nodded, patting my hair back down and walking over to the landline.

I took a deep breath and picked up the receiver. Willing the shakiness out of my voice, I said a quick “hello?”

The words I heard next were like music to my ears – “Ninten? Is that you? It’s your dad,” – or, to be specific, it was the voice that sent relief flooding through my body. I couldn’t have cared less what the words were, just that my dad was the one saying them was enough.

“Dad? Hey, great timing. Um,” I paused and glanced over at the staircase, wondering if I should get Mom so she can explain the situation. She’d probably do a heck of a lot better job at it than I ever could. Dad must’ve picked up on _something_ in my voice – again, is it just something about parents or am I just _that_ transparent? – because then he softly prompted me for more. “We’ve got a bit of a, er, situation going on here.” I relayed the story a second time, feeling twice as silly now that I’ve calmed down.

He hummed once I finished, and then he said something that really shouldn’t have startled me as much as it did. “Sounds like a poltergeist of some sort. I’m not really sure what to do about it either. Sorry bud,” I didn’t even try to hold back the disappointed sigh, but he rushed on ahead. “But your great grandfather did study this type of power; it’s called something like sigh? I’m not so sure, I was never that interested in the stuff. Either way, some of his stuff’s in the basement. Maybe you should give it a look?”

Putting the remark about _sigh_ aside (there’s no way that’s what it’s called), I quickly asked where the basement key is – I’ve never been allowed down there before and the door’s been locked as long as I can remember. All I got back was silence, then a quiet and ashamed “I don’t quite remember.” I rolled my eyes; just my luck. Thanking him nonetheless, I got off the phone with dad. I surveyed the living room, sagging a little when I realized just how much ground I had to cover.

I started with the tables and drawers, but then I heard a scratching at the door. I turned to the door, and hefted myself up from where I was crouching and opened the door. My beloved old dog, Mick, stood there, looking up at me with a wagging tail. I smiled at him and leaned down to scratch him just above his ears like I knew he loved. Then, I heard a voice.

“Hey, Ninten? You gotta get down into the basement, right? You should check my collar!!” The voice was gruff and excited, but one that was entirely unfamiliar to me. I stopped my petting, turning to survey the outside to see if there was anyone around. “Hey, what’d you stop petting for? You know I love that stuff!” I looked down at Mick, his puppy dog eyes looking back at me. Returning to my petting, his tail thumped against the ground as I grabbed at his collar. Right there, hanging from his collar, was a slightly rusted key. I had absolutely no idea how he was talking to me, nor how he knew that I needed the key to begin with, but hey, I can freak out about this whole thing later. I’m a bit busy at the moment. Giving Mick’s head one last ruffle, I fumbled around until I finally got the key unhooked from the collar.

I planted a kiss on his head before standing up and walking over to the basement door. Trying to steel my nerves, I put the key in the lock and turned slowly. I slid the door open after I heard the lock click, the neglected hinges screeching in pain for the first time in who knows how long. The staircase down was only lit up so much, and as I made my way down them, I held onto the stone wall so I wouldn’t fall as it got darker. My cautious steps were as quick as I could manage without stumbling, but it felt like the staircase would go on forever. Just as I was about to start getting seriously scared, there, in front of me, was a door. I could just barely make it out as my eyes were still struggling to adjust to the dark. I quickly went down the last few steps and grabbed onto the handle, flinching at how freezing the metal was against my bare skin, and I opened the door quickly, desperate to get out of the stairway.

I sagged in disappointment when the room behind the door was just as dark as the stairway, if not even darker. I immediately reached for the wall, flailing until I found a switch. Thanking my lucky stars, I flipped the light switch. There was nothing for a solid 30 seconds, and just as I was about to give up, a dim, flickering lightbulb turned on, barely lighting up the room at all. It didn’t give me much to work with, considering that it was still extremely dark, but I was grateful regardless.

The basement was remarkably empty. There were cobwebs strewn about in every place possible. A cockroach skittered by my socked foot, and I took a startled step back. My eyes followed the insect just long enough to see it run into a spider. I looked away, not wanting to know who would win in that battle. I’d much rather get what I needed and get lost. I spied a cardboard box sitting next to what used to be a loaf of bread. I shuffled over to the box, dropped into a crouch, and peered inside. A bunch of random knick-knacks that I had no clue as to what they were lay inside, alongside a dusty old book. I picked up the book by its leather cover, held it as far away from my face as I could, and brushed off the dust. I could feel my lungs constricting despite my efforts, and I knew I had to get out of this dusty hell. I took one last cursory glance around the room, and my gaze fell onto an old looking baseball bat.

I walked over to it, and picked it up. After a quick look over the bat, I noticed there were several cracks in the thing, but that little voice in my head was telling me that it was better than nothing, so I held onto it anyways. I couldn’t keep myself from coughing as I hurried out of the basement, flipping the light back off on my way out. I had to walk even slower up the stairs than I had on the way down, now that both of my hands were full. But, this time, there was a light I was steadily making my way towards, and a sense of relief grew stronger with every step I took closer to the living room. Then, a figure stepped into the open doorway and my relief gave way to guilt. Mom stood, hands on hips, a disapproving expression on her face and her hands on her hips.

I could feel a sheepish grin stretch my face uncomfortably. “Mom, I, I – um,” I stuttered out before taking a moment to calm myself, because, I’ll be honest, I sounded kind of stupid. “I swear there’s a reason I was—“ I started, but I was interrupted before I could finish.

“ _Ninten_ ,” her voice left no room for argument, and I started sweating right there and then, “you’ve never been allowed in that room since you were born. Would you mind explaining _why_ , exactly, you went into the basement and how you got the key in the first place?”

 _Crap_.

My eyes darted around the room, and I struggled to find a suitable answer that wouldn’t get me in too much trouble. Every time I glanced over Mom’s face, her expression seemed to get more and more stern. I knew time was running out so I blurted out, all in one breath, “Dad told me that there was some stuff in the basement that might be related to the poltergeist-thingy that was going on earlier and then I found the key on Mick’s collar!” My lungs were hungry for air by the time I finished my run-on sentence, and I gladly fed them while staring at my mom, hoping the explanation would satisfy her. Her face twisted and she shifted her glare over to the phone, probably wishing that it was Dad instead of, well, a phone. I winced and hoped that I would remember to say sorry to him later.

I inched towards the stairs, hoping if I went slow enough I could escape her wrath for now, but her head zipped toward me when I moved. She heaved a defeated sigh. “What did you take, then?”

I held up the book and the bat. “I found this book and, well, I don’t know, I guess it felt important somehow. This bat, too.”

She looked over the items, her eyes staying locked on the book for what felt like forever. Then, finally, she looked back at me and said, “Just… ask next time, alright?”

I nodded frantically, utterly relieved to be out of the line of fire, and took off upstairs with a quick “I’ll be in my room!” called over my shoulder. After kicking my bedroom door shut behind me, I dropped the bat on the floor and plopped onto my bed, opening up the book. My smile faltered as I laid eyes on the first page, and I flipped through the pages with fervor. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Finally, I flipped it closed, flopping onto my back with a pout and a groan. I couldn’t make out a word in the book.

_There’s no way. There must be something._

I grumbled out a complaint along the lines of “I don’t care, disembodied voice! Let me be dramatic, please, I’ve had a long day and I. Need. This.” I will neither confirm nor deny whether that’s what I actually said. That’s for me to know and for you to (hopefully) never find out. _Anyways_ , the voice in my head continued, telling me to check the book again, and I eventually sat up with a whine. Reaching back over for the book, I resumed (what I thought was) my fruitless search.

_Unreadable. Incoherent. Nonsense. Actual words. Unreadable. Unreadable._

My eyes widened when it registered what I just saw, and I flipped back to the single readable page. The words on it were hastily scribbled and looked like chicken scratch, and made no sense whatsoever.

_“The password…_

_Where is the god’s tail, that which was left behind by the ship that soars the heavens?”_

I stared blankly at the page, and slowly shut the book and set it on my bedside table. I sagged, laying down on my stomach and burying my face into my pillow. Of course the only coherent words in the book were incoherent in their own way. Just my luck. I tried to push the book from my thoughts, settling down to sneak in a quick nap before dinner, but no matter what, the words wouldn’t leave me alone. The lost god’s tail followed me into my dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, hey there! Haven't written for this story in, what, 7 months? Yeah, you could say I took a hiatus to work on my own original story. But, finally, I've gotten off my ass and started writing again! And, gosh, I forgot how much fun it is. Hopefully I'll be updating a lot more soon, but no promises.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and please point out any typos to me! I'm also on [tumblr](http://nevilllees.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk!


	4. 3: Zombies Are Real (Apparently)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"A low moan came from behind me as I ran off, and I prayed that it was just the wind tricking my ears. That couldn’t have been real. I must’ve been seeing things. There’s just no way that zombies exist."_
> 
> or, the one where adults cannot stop interrupting ninten. also, zombies.

Leaving the house was like a breath of fresh air, but my mind kept wandering to the diary sitting at the bottom of my mostly empty backpack. Shaking the thought out of my mind for the fifth time, I quickened my pace. The faster I got to town, the faster I can get yesterday out of my mind. There’s usually _something_ weird going on in Podunk, so I figured I could find something mundane to do to distract me.

Turns out that it was my lucky day, because it was right then that I found Mrs. Lindgren pacing in front of her house, fanning her face with her hand. Now, you gotta understand, this woman is the most over dramatic person I’ve ever met. She says ‘oh me oh my’ when she’s panicked. No one actually does that, but this woman somehow does it with complete seriousness. Normally I’d ignore her - she does this at least once a week over things far too simple, even for me - but she didn’t usually have tears running down her face. Maybe something _was_ up.

“Uh, Mrs. Lindgren? Is there… something wrong?”

“ _Yes_! Yes, something’s very, very wrong!” She sobbed out, and I couldn’t help but flinch. Jeez, comforting crying people really isn’t my forte, huh? “I can’t find Pippi anywhere! Have you seen her?”

“No, ma’am, I have-”

“Well then, you’re going into town, right? Could you please tell the mayor?” She interrupted. I sighed - I tended to avoid talking to the mayor as much as I could, but I didn’t think she’d let me say no, so I nodded. Unfortunately, she started to sob again, so I walked away as smoothly as I could, not wanting to be in that conversation any longer.

Walking into town took just as long as it always did, and I made a beeline for the town hall so I could get it over with. Waving to the receptionist, I headed up the stairs. The mayor wasn’t busy. He never was. His face brightened as soon as he saw me. This can’t be good.

“Ah, Ninten, my good friend! How are you, how’s school?” He gave me his best cheesy grin.

“School’s fine, sir.”

“Is it? Great! Well, you’re probably bored because there’s no school today, right? Great! I’ve got just the thing to cure that boredom! Ya see, buddy, a child has gone and wandered into the cemetery, and we can’t just let them rot in there. People say it’s getting real dangerous out there lately - a few folks have even come in reporting _zombies_. Zombies! I doubt there’s such a thing, but it’d be best if we got the kid out of there before anyone notices. And that, my boy, is where you come in. Would you mind getting her for me?”

“Well, actually, sir-”

“You will? Oh, great! Of course, I _would_ follow you, but I’m just so busy that I just don’t have the time!” Really? What was with adults and interrupting me today? And busy? Yeah right.

_Whatever_. At least it’s something to do

* * *

Watching as a rotting hand broke out of the earth, I felt like a rock had caught in my throat. As I let the dread creep over me, I noticed the hand was struggling to get a grip on the dirt, presumably to pull the rest of itself up. So, I did the first thing that came to mind - I stomped on the hand as hard as I could and made a break for the crypt. Pippi had always liked to be in the creepiest place possible.

A low moan came from behind me as I ran off, and I prayed that it was just the wind tricking my ears. That couldn’t have been real. I must’ve been seeing things. There’s just no way that zombies exist.

And I held out that hope until another hand popped up in front of me. Okay, I _guess_ zombies are real. That revelation didn’t mean I had to stop for them, though. I kept my pace steady. (It’s just like in baseball, Ninten. Not that hard.)

After making my way down the crypt’s ladder, I stopped for the first time in what felt like forever. I sat on the ground, scrambling to get my backpack off so I could get my inhaler.

Zombies. Why’d it have to be zombies.

I sat for a minute, catching my breath and letting the whole zombies issue sink in. But, I couldn’t just sit forever, so I eventually picked myself up and started down the stairs into the crypt.

Picture four coffins in a room, all shaking ominously. Three of them have zombie-esque groans coming from them. The fourth is silent, other than the occasional snicker. Which coffin do you open?

Well, I, like any sensible person, opened the fourth, and found exactly what I expected. Inside the coffin was Pippi, hands clapped over her mouth in an effort to keep from laughing. Her face darkened when she saw me, her hands dropping from her face as she pouted.

“Aw, Ninten, why’d ya have to ruin it?” She crossed her arms, glaring up at me. “Whaddaya want?”

“Well _hello_ to you too, Pippi. The mayor’s making me get you out of here. C’mon, get up, we’re getting out of here.” I grabbed her by the arm and hauled her onto her feet.

She heaved a sigh, wrenching her arm out of my hand. “ _Fiiine._ Let’s go.”

Pippi started towards the door, her stride confident. Or, it was at first, but I could tell when the atmosphere combined with the zombie’s noises got to her, as her steps faltered and she glanced at the coffins nervously. At the doorway, she paused, turning back towards me. “You’re older than me, so _you_ should go first.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” I muttered as I stepped in front of her to open the door. We made our way out of the crypt and through the maze of gravestones (seriously, there’s just no order to these things, huh?) until Pippi shrieked. She promptly cleared her throat and tried to pretend like she hadn’t, but I was too busy staring at what she had seen. It was a zombie, that much was obvious, but the thing that got me staring was its outfit. It was dressed like it was in the _mafia._

I’m pretty used to strange things, but mafia zombies was not exactly something I was prepared for.

While I was busy trying to get over this zombie’s ridiculous outfit, I guess Pippi managed to steel her nerves, because the next thing I knew, she was barreling towards the thing with a war cry and suckerpunched it right in the gut. (Wait, do zombies have guts?) _Well, dang, does she even need me to do anything here?_

Despite the fact that Pippi could probably take care of the zombie with her fists alone, I grabbed the bat from my backpack, ran over, and swung as hard as I could. The zombie’s head flew off its shoulders completely and cleanly, landing on the dirt with a squelch. _Gross…_

Pippi watched the whole thing with a growing grin on her face. “Alright, zombies! Who wants some!” She yelled, her voice shrill and her face bloodthirsty as she raced ahead.

“Pippi, wait!” I had to break into a run to even keep her in my line of sight. Unfortunately for me, she used her lead on me to suckerpunch another zombie.

Well, I guess there’s nothing left to do but kick some zombie ass.

* * *

“Now, Pippi, make sure your mother knows the mayor rescued you, okay?” The mayor tried to wink at her conspiratorially, but ended up looking like his face was spasming. He shoved a 100 dollar bill into my hand and said, “Say, Ninten, you did such a good job with this job, why don’t you help me out with the zoo problem too? Ya know, since you’re here and everything.”

“Well, sir, I was hoping to-”

“Oh, you’ll go check it out? Wonderful! Abbott, how ‘bout you give this lad a key to the zoo?” The mayor interrupted, sounding overjoyed.

His assistant, apparently named Abbott, opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a key, placing it on the desk. Before I could go and grab it, Pippi tugged on my arm. “Ninten, I want you to have this,” she said, holding out a small badge with a lightning bolt on it. “My mom says Ben Franklin used this badge, so I call it a Franklin badge. I dunno if it does anything special, but maybe it’ll help you at the zoo or something.”

I couldn’t hold back a snort as I took the badge and tucked it in my pocket. The word ‘thanks’ really isn’t in her dictionary, huh? “Thanks, Pippi, I’ll hold onto it.”

“Yeah, you better!” She grumbled as I patted her shoulder and stepped over to grab the zoo key. I nodded at Abbott, waved at Pippi, and ignored the mayor as I left the room. Exiting the town hall, I sighed. I don’t even know what the zoo problem is.

I didn’t even consider trying to ask around before I walked into the department store to poke around. Hey, the mayor never said I had to go to the zoo _now_ , right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh jeez hello?? i’m back?? just wanted to say a big sorry for not updating in nearly a year. i had a good chunk written but i lost that file when i changed computers and i never restarted this chapter until this week. anyways, next update shouldn’t take too long for me to write! sorry that there wasn’t a lot going on in this one, but the next one should have more going on. as always, please point out any mistakes so i can fix them!


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